University of Huddersfield vice-chancellor Prof Bob Cryan to take on ‘phantom debt’ in solidarity with students

Dec 11 2010 by Barry Gibson, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

THE head of Huddersfield University has vowed to join his students in debt repayments.

Prof Bob Cryan yesterday revealed he would take on a “phantom debt” in solidarity with students facing tuition fees of up to £9,000.

The University of Huddersfield vice-chancellor will make repayments equal to those which his students face. The money will go into a hardship fund for students at the university.

Prof Cryan made the announcement yesterday in an email to staff and students.

He wrote: “From 2012 our students will have to pay higher fees to compensate for the more than 80% cut in teaching funding that we will receive, and they will have 30 years to pay it back.

“I cannot ask our future students to do this without being prepared to do it myself.

“I have benefited from an outstanding education at the University of Huddersfield and so, once we have set our fee levels, I intend to take on the same 30 year tuition fee debt as our future students and will set up a standing order to make payments directly to a student support fund for our university.”

It was unclear yesterday how much Prof Cryan would pay into the fund.

The vice-chancellor sent the email the day after Parliament voted to raise the maximum tuition fee from £3,290 to £9,000. The Government has already decided that the teaching grant will be cut by 80%.

Prof Cryan criticised the Government’s policies in yesterday’s email.

He wrote: “We have made it clear that the University of Huddersfield and the University of Huddersfield Students’ Union fundamentally disagree with the reduction in state support for teaching, and in passing on costs to students.”